Fast food is the term applied to food that members of the public purchase generally as “take out” food from any one of a number of chain stores which is often eaten, e.g., in cars when the customer is on a road trip, or at parties, picnics or sporting events where formal “sit down” facilities are not available. Popular fast food items include potato chips, French fried unions and potatoes, beef jerke, hamburgers, hot dogs, etc. The menu almost always includes a beverage, for example a soft drink, coffee, tea or milkshake.
Dispensing fast food has become a major industry. Chains of fast food stores have spread around the world. These chains are often operated as franchises wherein the corporate office supplies the franchisee with all kinds of tools and procedures for operating the franchise such as a standard menu.
As competition among the chains increases, each chain strives to include more and more variety and added attractions to the fare—novel and convenient ways to provide the beverage, inclusion of condiments (ketchup, mustard, chopped onions, relishes) etc.
An important part of a successful operation includes provision of a carrier of food, beverage and utensils. Such a carrier has important requirements. It must be convenient to carry and, preferably, enable the user to eat his food in situations where “sitting down at a dinner table” is not feasible. It must be so inexpensive that it is disposable.
The food trays that are presently available are generally limited in terms of the function that they perform. As the variety of items increases, the demand for convenience increases. The demand for convenience translates to demand for features of a food carrier that provide the user with additional items such as a napkin, condiments, and utensils, etc.
An important concern for the purveyor of fast food is “getting his message out to the publc”—advertising. If his advertising is sufficiently clever, (e.g., a humorous cartoon,) the public can be enticed to buy the product smply to obtain the advertisement. This is especially true of themes attractive to children such as Mickey Mouse, Harry Potter, etc.
Another desireable feature of packages for industry, is that the packages be “stackable”. I.e., the empty packages (before use) should be storable as stacks of packages in order to reduce the requirement for storage space.